Reach To The Stars, Part 1
by EsperDerek
Summary: SEELE has been exposed to the world. The Project lay in ruins. Yet the test that they have initiated is about to begin. The Angels are coming, and the United Nations must find a new commander for NERV... A alternate universe take on Evangelion.


"3...2...1! We have successful liftoff at 32 minutes after the hour, of the Ariane 5 rocket carrying the James Webb Space Telescope, bringing the eyes of mankind back to the stars again. Tower Clear!"

With that, cheers erupted at Mission Control, as all eyes were on the rapidly ascending rocket. In his viewing area, UNASA Sub-Director Austin Gentry relaxed in his chair, trying to remember how to breathe. He watched the bustling, if regrettably small, Mission Control, as reports of the rockets ascent into the heavens came through, and allowed himself a small smile. Barring any unforeseen disasters, everything would go exactly as it should.

Finally, after years of work, even more years of cajoling and bargaining, and far, far too many deals and concessions, mankind was taking it's first steps back to exploring the heavens again. NASA had a purpose again, apart from slinging dozens of spy satellites looking down on the earth, instead of out into space, manned by paranoids at the UN, in the US Government, in certain other organizations...

Gentry shifted in his seat. No, it wouldn't do to pollute this moment thinking about politics. Sure, everyone else in the world was probably distracted by that-who wouldn't be-but this was a moment of success. Perhaps mankind would finally realize his future is in the stars, not this worn down, half-broken Earth, finally break free of the shackles placed on it by the old men who had taken so much from them.

The Sub-Director forced himself to take another breath, pushing down the pain that had momentarily threatened to consume him. He turned his eyes to the others in Mission Control. It was becoming clear that this mission would end in success. The rocket had reached it's proper orbit and was preparing to let go of it's all-too-important cargo. There were some long nights ahead of all of them, budget cuts had sliced personnel down to the bone, and even barring that, most of those who had the skills had turned to higher paying jobs elsewhere anyways.

Gentry smirked slightly. It was only crazy people like him left in UNASA. No one took them seriously anymore. Most perceived them as little more than a highly-specialized delivery service. Everyone who worked at UNASA had either burned their bridges to the ground, broken in some way, or were idealistic dreamers, reaching for the skies. Sometimes he thought his crew was the most illogical, dysfunctional group of people alive. Sometimes he wondered what working so hard for UNASA meant about him. Yet, despite it all, they had pulled together, and succeeded to make this single, faltering step back to the stars.

Daddy, fly us to the moon...

He was awoken from his thoughts when someone behind him cleared his throat, and began to speak.

"A successful launch, I see. Congratulations, Sub-Director Gentry." Gentry looked back, and found he couldn't recognize the man. He was far younger than Gentry-who was feeling all of his forty-odd years as he looked at the him-and his formal attire and dark glasses betrayed him in the more...relaxed atmosphere of Mission Control.

"Mnh. Thank you. It's been a long time in coming. Now, may I ask, who are you, and what are you doing here?" Gentry shifted in his seat, so he could see the man better. The suited mans face was as if it were etched in stone. It was really rather remarkable.

"I'm here to report that your success has caught the attention of the Security Council." That caught his attention.

"Heh. The Security Council? I find that rather hard to believe. What, do they want to know if Webb can be turned around so they can pick up what someone is having for breakfast? Don't they have enough spy sats up there?" No rise in the man. Gentry was rather impressed at the mans stoicism.

"Say what you will, but the Council is impressed. Tell me, can you speak Japanese?"

"What?" That was certainly an odd question. But in these times, Japanese was rapidly matching English in importance, and besides, many of the suppliers that he had to deal with were located in Japan.. "Well, yes...Look, unless you have something more important to say, I'm really rather bus-" He was interrupted by a folder being placed on his desk.

"Congratulations, you've been promoted. Read this folder, and tell no one of it's contents. You will report to the UNSC at 0900 tomorrow for a full briefing." With that, the stony-faced man was already walking away, the baffled Gentry unable to find his voice to stop him. Instead, he reached for the folder.

Emblazoned on the folder, along with the words 'Top Secret' was a blood-red logo. Half a fig leaf, partially covering the letters. His eyes widened.

NERV.

Reach To The Stars

An Evangelion Fanfiction

By: EsperDerek

"We're fifteen minutes out, Commander Gentry." The pilot of the VTOL briefly looked back at the older man. Gentry nodded, briefly thanking the man, before turning to look out the window. He hated VTOLs. It was absurd, he had been flown to Tokyo-2, met briefly with the Japanese officials there, listened to their kowtowing and saw their false smiles, knowing all the while that they hated Gentry and hated why he was there, and now was stuck on this goddamn cross between a plane and a helicopter..What's more, he got the feeling that the pilot was trying to impress him, with how low they were flying, just skimming over the mountain that surrounded the city of Tokyo-3. Even from this distance, Gentry could make out the city, shimmering in the perpetual summer that this country was experiencing.

_Like this, one would almost think it was an ordinary city. _ Gentry mused. He still hardly believed everything that he had been told about this city, and the secrets that were hidden underneath it. If it were six months ago, Gentry would have thought the whole thing was an elaborate lie, a particularly creative tale told by a fevered mind.

Now, though, Gentry believed every word of it. How could he not?

_"We assume you've been watching the news."_ That was the first thing the UNSC had said to him. There he was, standing in front of the most powerful government council in the world, people who had never even given him the time of day before, and their first line could be misconstrued as small talk. Gentry had almost laughed.

But, of course, it was true. He had been watching the news. Everyone had. The revelation of the truth of Second Impact, that a shadow council had been dictating the future of mankind, and had decided that half of them would have to die in that hellish instant...

Gentry gripped the armrests of his seat, even now. Three smiling faces..

What's more, they had been going for a second try. A Third Impact, some sort of Project, that...well, Gentry didn't understand _exactly _what was going on with that. _No one_ seemed to. Just that it was definitely to be avoided, for it would cause life as they knew it on Earth to end. The damn thing was, this organization, SELEE, could have done it, too. They wielded enough power and influence that they, quite literally, controlled the world.

How ironic that an organization so powerful be brought down by a single person. And through that, someones crisis of conscience in the last possible second, were they revealed to the light of day. In their arrogance, they had assumed themselves untouchable...but the fury of mankind, still reeling from the genocide of half of it's population, had turned out to be far more potent. That, and the shock from the UN-and many, many countries and companies-that they had been played, were being lead to their own eventual self-destruction.

Even now, the purges were still happening. Most of SELEE and their minions were currently imprisoned, awaiting trial. Several prominent SELEE members had just been murdered by vengeful civilians, or had cowardly taken their own lives.

Gentry shook his head. The UNSC had explained all this, and then dropped the bombshell. Whatever method that SELEE and its puppets had used towards pursuing 'Third Impact' was still going, and that mankind would be threatened by "Angels", their sources had revealed, and if they were not stopped, mankind would find itself part of the worst planetary extinction since the dinosaurs. The damn thing was, no one exactly knew what the Angels _were_, much of the information was corrupted or worthless. Just that it was a threat, that it was coming, and that this 'NERV', an organization founded by SELEE and paid for by the UN, could defend against it.

Gentry figured that, whatever the Angels were, they'd have to be pretty damn big to need _those things_ to fight them...

UNSC had outlined that NERVs commander, one Gendo Ikari, was one of SELEEs puppets, and thus had been removed in the purges. That left NERV without a commander, and with the Angels due to appear anywhere within a few weeks to a few months, they needed someone experienced to act in his stead. They were unwilling to hire someone at NERV, for the obvious reasons that they might be the most compromised by SEELE of all. They outlined his time in UNASA, his time in the Air Force-he had protested he was a _pilot_-and concluded their discussion by stating he was the best choice.

Gentry wasn't a fool. They had asked him because they needed someone _safe._ Someone untouched by SELEE. UNASA was hardly a hotbed of corruption, as few people cared about space exploration in these days. Even the spy satellites, of which there were many, that they had launched had been given to them only with instructions on how to launch them, as UNASA was on the same level as a package delivery service. What's more, the US certainly had something to do with it, seeing a chance to regain some of their geopolitical advantage by having an American at the head of NERV. The Japanese government had suffered a tremendous loss of face through the SEELE revelation. Gentry was about to refuse the job, was about to go back to his simple desk job, and then he saw those three smiling faces, and changed his mind. He would get his revenge on those old men, for all that they had taken from him, by destroying their still well-laid plans, and accepted the job.

"Huh, that's strange." The pilot called out. "I'm picking something up on radar. There shouldn't be anything." Gentry blinked, and looked forwards. The pilots voice suddenly took on a worrying tone, and then a strangled scream.

"It's huge!" Suddenly the VTOL rocked to the left, Gentry slamming hard against the armrest, as the pilot tried to evade the threat. Gentry's window was suddenly filled with black, and his eyes widened, as he pushed himself to look out it.

They had just missed plastering into a monster. A black monstrosity, bone jutting in places, an inhuman face. Gentry felt a thrill of panic shoot down his spine. It was something that didn't belong on this Earth. A dull red orb glowed in its chest. It seemed to glance at the VTOL that was far too close to it, as if it were regarding a particularly annoying fly.

"Evade! God damn it, get out of the way!" Gentry barked to the pilot, but it was far too late. The creatures eyes-were they eyes-sparked, and the front of the VTOL suddenly exploded, the pilot being vaporized in an instant. Gentry could feel the heat washing over him. The crippled vehicle began to list, and then the ground began to rapidly approach. He tucked himself in, bracing for impact. His life, it seemed, now could be counted in seconds, and not many, at that.

_Damn...at least, I'll be wit-_

* * *

"What is that thing?"

"We think it's the first Angel, sir!"

"I thought we had more time than this!"

"It looks like that information was corrupted.."

"UN forces moving to engage! No word from NERV yet on if one of the Units will be ready to launch in time!"

"Sir, we've lost contact with Commander Gentrys VTOL, we think it's gone down."

"Damn! How could we not see this coming? I thought we had more accurate data than this. It got almost halfway from the ocean before we realized it was there!"

"Those SELEE bastards have screwed us right from the start."

"Prepare an N2 strike if all else fails."

* * *

"G-Guh...w-well, looks like you're not allowed to die yet..." Gentry murmured to himself, as consciousness slowly returned to him. He smelt smoke, and slowly, he undid his seat belt, and looked around. He was still in the VTOL, saved from death by some miracle or another. He forced himself to walk, out of the ruined front of the vehicle, and to the relative safety of the street, lest the damn thing burn him to death. It was only then when he stopped to catch his breath and turned to look at the crash. The ruins of a once state of the art VTOL unit lay unceremoniously shattered against the road.

"Christ...how did I escape that unscathed..?"

It was then when he realized that his left arm was hanging in a very unnatural angle, and his breathing was a little more shallow than he would have liked. Pain was seeping into him, and he cradled his shattered arm carefully. He was covered in scratches and gashes, some bleeding a little more than he would have preferred.

"Heh, I guess I didn't, did I?" He took off the ruins of his coat, quickly making himself a sling. Now that the ringing was leaving his ears, he was starting to hear the sounds of battle, a little too close to his position.

The rational thing would be to stay with the crashed vehicle. It was an emergency situation, and surely the crash would be responded to. Besides, his ribs might be broken, and his arm definitely was, and moving would surely cause more damage, and more pain.

_Screw rational._ Gentry thought. _Rational went out when Godzilla's ugly cousin decided to show up._

"Besides, I stick around, and that thing likely to stomp on me, or I end up as 'friendly fire'..." Gritting his teeth, Gentry began to run down the street.

"No radio...have to find a phone or something...gh..." He winced, as his arm scraped against itself unhealthily, his ribs ached. He looked around the seemingly abandoned suburban area.

_No one else here. How long have I been out? They must have evacuated, I know there's shelters. Or are hiding in their homes, not that I can blame them..._

It was only adrenaline and sheer stubbornness that was keeping Gentry moving. His arm was screaming, a pain that was enough to make him light-headed. He just wanted to lay down in the street and rest, but that would be suicidal at the best of times. Gentry stumbled, and forced himself to stop for a moment, trying to drag deeper breaths into his wounded body. He blinked rapidly, clearing the blur encroaching on his vision, pushing away the vision of blue hair and white skin he briefly thought he saw, and beheld an even more absurd sight.

A young, black-haired boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen, standing at a payphone. He looked briefly baffled at the phone, and then looked a photo in his hands. Gentry was amazed. What the hell was that kid _doing_ out here? Didn't he know that there was a rapidly encroaching _war zone_ nearby? Forgetting about his pain for the moment, Gentry rushed forwards, and seized the boy by the shoulder, whirling him around to face him.

"What the hell are you doing out here! You stupid kid, get to a shelter before yo-" Gentry caught himself, as he saw the terror spasm across the boys face, and mentally chided himself. _Of __course _the boy was terrified. Here was this older man, covered in blood, torn and tattered, his arm held by a makeshift _sling_, screaming at him incomprehensibly in a completely different language...he probably looked scarier than the bloody Angel would. He paused for a moment, and forced his fat tongue to switch to Japanese.

"What are you doing out here? Don't you know it's an emergency situation? You should be in the shelters with your family." The boy looked away, his eyes turning down towards the ground.

"I..uhm...I was told to wait here, I was going to go in a moment.." He weakly offered the photo to Gentry, as if it would explain everything. Letting go of the child and taking the photo, Gentry shook his head.

"This isn't a safe place..." He started, and looked down at the photo. His eyes widen slightly. Who...who would send a photo like _this_ to a fourteen year old? Was the kid having an affair or something with his teacher? He supposed it was possible. At least he had good taste in women, she was particularly lovely. Momentarily distracted by the photo, he didn't notice the boys eyes widen, and it wasn't until he screamed, pointing, that Gentry was roused, and he turned just in time to see the giant, surrounding by far too ineffectual combat VTOLs firing upon it, coming closer to them...

"Shit."

He grabbed the boy by the arm, and turned to run. He heard the VTOLs unleashing their payloads on the giant, who didn't seem all that impressed by the firepower pumping towards him. He swatted one of the VTOLs as if it were a bug, and Gentry and the boy were thrown to the ground as the aircraft crashed-and exploded-near them.

"AAAGGHHH!" Gentry screamed, as it felt like his arm was being stabbed, again and again and again and again it hurt so bad make it stop make it stop...

Gentry managed to keep his lunch, and, with the boys help, forced himself to stand up again.

"Ar-Are you okay?" The boy asked, worry evident in his voice. Gentry hissed in pain, and he flinched back from the older man.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"L-Less...less apologizing...more running..." Gentry said, and tried to get his legs to work again. It was a losing proposition, his body had decided to rebel at the commands his mind were making. He would need precious seconds to regain control, seconds that they didn't have. That _thing_ was drawing closer. "Scratch that...new plan...you run, I'll be right behind you..." He lied. At least one of them might still live.

"B-But..." The boy said reluctantly.

Before Gentry could emphasize his point, a car, travelling all too fast, came to a sudden stop in front of them. The passengers side door opened, and a woman-the woman from the photo-poked her head out.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" She beckoned to the boy, who, casting a worried glance back at Gentry, clambered into the car. Gentry wasn't too far behind, going for the rear doors, but was stopped by the woman.

"Whoa, I'm sorry, but I can't take you along. I'm supposed to deliver Shinji here, classified, you see. You should make your way to a shelter, buddy." She looked apologetically at the wounded man. Gentry wearily reached into the sling, and produced the NERV ID he had been issued by the UNSC.

"That's 'NERV Commander Buddy'."

* * *

The look on the womans face was almost worth the pain.

"The target is still intact. It's moving towards Tokyo-3 as before."

"It's just as we figured. Normal weapons have no effect against that AT Field."

"I have word from NERV, they've dispatched an agent to retrieve the pilot."

"They'll never make it at this rate. Launch the N2 strike."

* * *

Gentry couldn't decide what was the most harrowing time in his life. Several of the combat missions he flew during the wars after Second Impact certainly were a possibility. At first, he thought the crash that he had just experienced would be on the tops of the list. But that was before he got in a car with Misato Katsuragi. The woman had managed to get them away from the combat scene in a hurry, but Gentry was pretty sure that his heart was in his throat. Thankfully, gratefully, Captain Katsuragi had stopped, and was looking out the window out at the battle scene.

He could hardly believe that this woman was going to be his Operations Manager.

The boy, who the photo that Gentry was still hanging onto was called Shinji, had taken the momentary lull to start cleaning Gentrys wounds with the first aid kit that was in the car. It was really surprising just how many cuts the man had. Gentry winced as Shinji disinfected one of them.

"I'm sorry." The boy apologized, and Gentry shook his head.

"No, it's okay, you're doing good work." He said, through gritted teeth, and Shinji looked a little surprised.

"U-uhm...thank you."

_Has the boy never been complimented before? _Gentry thought. He looked up at Katsuragi.

"Katsuragi." He called out, and the woman didn't react. He cleared his throat.

"Katsuragi, you should let NERV know we're coming."

"Hey! It can't be..." The purple-haired woman suddenly spoke up.

"What is it?"

"Are they going to use an N2 mine? Get down!" She tackled Shinji, covering the boy with her body against the floor of the car. Letting out a curse, Gentry threw himself down, protecting his arm.

_Suddenly,_ Gentry reflected, as the initial waves of the explosion began to hit the car, _we have new competitor..._

* * *

"We successfully hit the target!"

"We did it!"

"Maybe we won't need NERV after all!"

* * *

Maybe it was the fact that he was going into shock, but Gentry wasn't nearly in as much pain as he thought he would be. The three of them had scrambled out of the overturned car, catching their breath.

"Are you two alright?" Misato asked. She had managed to escaped unscathed.

"I'm fine, but there's something my mouth." Shinji said, wiping his mouth.

"Gh, well, I'm not hurt any _more_ after that." Gentry said, honestly. Misato walked up to the car, putting her hands on her hips.

"That's fine. Are you ready?" She asked, grabbing the edge of the car. Shinji scrambled to help her, and so did Gentry. Katsuragi blinked.

"Commander, sir, you don't really have to.." Gentry shook his head.

"I'm fine, Captain. We need to get this thing working as quickly as possible anyways."

The three of them together managed to upright the car. Misato wiped her brow.

"Whew. Thanks a lot. Good job."

"You too, Miss Katsuragi."

"Call me Misato. Pleased to meet you, Ikari Shinji."

Gentry felt the chill down his spine as he realized that this child was somehow related to his predecessor, the one currently sitting in jail on crimes against humanity...

Maybe he wasn't feeling that good after all.

* * *

"Condition of target?"

"Undetermined due to radio wave interference."

"It was such a large explosion, it must have been destroyed!"

"Sensors operational."

"An energy reaction is at the centre!"

"Visuals restored.."

"Damn."

"It looks like we were right. Not even an N2 strike can do much more than give it pause."

"It's a monster.."

* * *

Austin Gentry closed his eyes, as Misato drove along. He could hear Shinji and Misato speaking with one another, but he wasn't paying attention. Of course Austin Gentry had been briefed on the former Commander of NERV. Gendo Ikari. Head of 'Project E'. Traitor to the human race.

Perhaps that was going a little too far. Maybe he had been subverted by SELEE after his wife died. Maybe he was threatened to work for them for the life of his son. Maybe that's why he was estranged from him. That's what he wanted to believe.

He noticed that they had driven onto a car train, and the two in front were talking about more important things.

"The special agency NERV?"

"Yes, a secret organization directly attached to the UN."

"It's the one my father belongs to."

"Yeah, well..." Misatos voice trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

Gendo himself had been remarkably silent on the whole issue, of course. Since he was at the top of a secret organization, and there were far more promising targets, his name hadn't been publicized. That was probably why Shinji appeared to have not known anything.

"It's an important job, protecting the human race, or so my teacher said."

Gentry grimaced. It wouldn't do to have Shinji being lied to already. But how would he phrase the words? Jesus, how could he head NERV if he couldn't find the words for this one child...

He could see the letter that Shinji was showing to Misato. It was absurd. Completely censored. Even 'COME - GENDO IKARI' had been scribbled out. His opinion of the senior Ikari as a father was rapidly diminishing.

"Is there something for me to me to do? He wouldn't write to me unless he wants me for something.."

That did it. Gentry found his voice. He wouldn't be the coward that would scribble out even 'Come'.

"Shinji, your father isn't here."

"Eh?"

"Commander?"

The two expressed their shock. Gentry figured that they had basically forgotten him, considering he was lying down in the back of the car. They probably thought he was asleep. He grimaced, ignoring the pain that was threatening him again, and forced himself to sit up.

"He isn't here, Shinji. I don't know when you got that letter, when he sent it out, but he's not now. He made some mistakes, and he's having to pay for them now. That's why I'm here. I'm taking over his work. That..." He paused for a moment, looking at the young boy, remembering back. "That includes you."

Silence reigned in the car. The look in Shinjis face was unreadable to Gentry.

The car windows suddenly shone brilliantly. Gentry flinched, shading his eyes. Shinji turns his attention to the outside, away from the uncomfortable situation.

"Wow...a real Geofront."

"That's right. This is our secret base, NERV Headquarters. It's also the foundation for rebuilding the world, and a fortress for the human race." Misato said, almost as if reciting a script, a tour guide trying to get things back in line. Gentry had to admit, the Geofront was far more impressive in real life than he had seen in the pictures presented. But it was another layer, another facade hiding the dangers within.

* * *

"We've just received word from NERV. They've recovered the pilot and will hopefully be launching the Unit any moment now."

"Well, that's something."

"There's more, sir. It seems the agent recovered Commander Gentry as well."

"Really? Well, I guess the bastard decided not to die after all. Well, let's see how they handle this situation..."

* * *

"You're lost." Commander Gentry observed, as the moving walkway shuttled them past a hallway he was pretty sure they had passed already before.

"I'm not lost! I'm sure this was the right way. Anyways, you're Commander, shouldn't you know where to go?" Misato protested.

"...My directions burned up in the crash."

"Damn it, where's Ritsuko? Sorry I'm not familiar with this place."

"We've been here before."

"See? I told you we're lost! As your Commander, I order you to find our way."

"Don't worry - systems exist to be used."

* * *

Gentry was pretty sure that they had taken this elevator before, and glancing at Shinji, he could tell that the boy was thinking the same he could wonder why, if they had just tried to get someone to find t_hem_ through the PA, they were still _moving_, the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and a very tired blond woman, dressed in a wetsuit and a lab coat, soaked in a substance Gentry didn't recognize, stalked in, and proceeded to invade Katsuragi's personal space.

"I have _better things to do_ than to hold your hand, _Captain Katsuragi._" Misato flinched, taking a step back.

"S-Sorry!" Gentry had to admit he was impressed. He took a step forwards, offering his good hand to the woman. He despaired meeting one of his subordinates the way he was, and now that they were moving again, the pain in his arm, and in his chest, was starting to wear away at him, but he had to make some sort of introduction of himself.

"Commander Austin Gentry. Thanks for retrieving us...?" The woman stared at him, and he couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking. Tentatively, she took his hand, and shook it.

"Doctor Ritsuko Akagi. It's good to hear you're okay, sir. We had thought you had died."

_Thought, or hoped?_ Gentry thought, hearing the coldness in the womans voice, the lack of concern to his injures. Yes, he was trying to hide the worst of what he was feeling, but still. _Akagi...where have I heard that before?_ He cursed the exhaustion and pain that were sapping his thinking process, washing away the information that he thought he had committed to memory. Akagi turned her attention to the third occupant of the elevator.

"He's the boy?" Misato nodded.

"Yes. According to Marduk's report, he's the Third Child." Ritsuko looked at Shinji.

"It's nice to meet you."

"Ah...yes.." The boy looked uncertain.

"He's rather like his father...neither are very sociable." Misato explained.

"What is he doing here?" Gentry finally asked. He had assumed that Shinji had been here to join his father, or given some sort of meaningless title and a paycheck to sustain him, but they were talking as if he were actually important. Ritsuko and Misato looked at each other.

"It's probably better to show you both." The scientist said.

* * *

"Repeat, red alert! All hands to battle stations! Prepare for ground interception of the enemy."

Gentry didn't like the sounds of that particular announcement. The Angel must have been getting closer. The bait, he supposed, was working. But what about the trap?

"Dr. Akagi, Captain Katsuagi. What are our options?"

"Unit-00 is being frozen. We..ah...had some earlier problems with it. That leaves us with Unit-01" Dr. Akagi explained

"Will that even work? I'd heard you hadn't managed to activate it yet." Misato pondered.

"The probability of it working is 0.000000001 percent. "09 system" seemed like a good name for it." Gentry brought his good hand to his head.

"So you're telling me our two choices is one that's not working, and the one that will only work if stars are right and we hold our tongues in the proper position?"

"Don't be silly. The chance isn't _zero."_

"Alright. I suppose we don't have another choice. I hope the pilot is ready to launch." Katsuragi and Akagi looked at him as if he had a third head.

"We're about to find out."

A quick ride over strange water, and the small group of people found themselves standing on a platform, in the dark.

"Ah...it's pitch black!" Shinji called out. Gentry was forced to agree, he couldn't see a damn thing.

"Can we get some lights on?" He commanded, and the lights did just that.

Shinji recoiled.

Gentry looked wide-eyed at the monstrous face looking upon them.

The two had met their first Evangelion.

"This is the Multi-Purpose Humanoid Fighting Machine EVANGELION, which humanity has finally developed." Dr. Akagi explained to the two stunned males.

"My father worked on this..?"

Gentry had, of course, been briefed on the Evangelions. The main fighting force of NERV, biomechnical giants to be piloted against the Angels. With two completed here and a third nearing readiness in Germany, each armed with the most sophisticated weaponry that humanity could produce, this was the first and last hope of humanity against the invading force that threatened it.

At least, that was the advertisement. With one sealed for some reason, and this titanic purple Unit apparently not the most reliable of machines, Gentry was beginning to feel the reality of their situation was much worse than what he had been sold by the UNSC.

_None the less, we work with the cards we're given._

"Prepare Unit-01 for sortie. We have to mount some sort of defence against that thing."

"You can't be serious!" Misato protested.

"What other choice do we have? Get the pilot, we need to get him into this thing and pray for a miracle." Gentry frowned, noticing something. The machine might be there, but..

"Where _is_ the pilot?"

"One has just been delivered." Dr. Akagi stated, and glanced significantly at the boy who was still looking, enthralled, at the terrifying visage of the machine. Shinji turned, his eyes widening. Gentry rubbed his forehead.

"We don't have time for jokes. Dr. Akagi." The doctor pushed past him, looking directly at Shinji.

"Shinji Ikari, you must get into it." The boy looked like he hardly knew what to say. Gentry felt heat rising in his chest.

"But even in Rei Ayanami's case, it took a full seven months to synchronize with Eva!" Misato protested, but Ritsuko continued, speaking to Shinji directly.

"You can only sit in it and try. We would never expect more from you."

"But..."

"At present, stopping the Angels attack has top priority. You yourself said as such, Commander Gentry. We must mount a defence. Even if there is little chance for synchronizing with Eva, we have no choice but to have someone must board it. Understand?"

"You may be right..." Misato wavered, but this was when Gentry spoke up, the heat in his chest spilling out into voice.

"You cannot be serious. I won't allow this. He is a _boy!_ You want to send him out there to battle that thing?"

"If you had objections, you shouldn't have accepted the job." Ritsuko returned. Gentry grimaced.

"This is madness. I won't-"

"Is this...why my father called me?" Shinji spoke up for the first time. Gentry paused, and Ritsuko used the Commanders delay to her advantage.

"Yes, Shinji. He brought you here because he needed you. He built this for you."

"I won't-"

"My father...did this for me? Needs me?" The hope in the boys voice was starting to push through his scepticism, the need to please his absentee father.

The base suddenly shuddered. The Angel had found them. Gentry cursed, and decided to play his last card, before anyone else would have a chance to speak. He had at least one card left to play. He whirled on Misato.

"My brain might be addled at the moment, but I remember that there's one active pilot here, and you _just said as much. _We need someone trained. Get that Pilot-Ayanami, was it-down here, now. She's going to pilot."

"But..."

"Do I have to repeat myself? Get her down here, now."

* * *

"Still no launch from NERV."

"What is taking them so damn long? What's Gentry doing down there?"

* * *

As soon as the elevator doors opened, and they wheeled out the hospital bed, Gentry knew he had made a mistake.

It was only compounded when it became apparent that Rei Ayanami, his last card to play, was about as young as Shinji, and looked about as bad as Gentry was feeling at this moment. She looked barely conscious. Gentry looked at her curiously, at the strange features the girl had-the blue hair, the pale skin.

"This...is a huge joke. This is my choice?" He felt like a fool. When he was presented the information on NERV, he had barely paid any attention to the actual pilots of the Evangelions themselves. He had flipped through it, saw that he had one active pilot, one soon to be in Germany, and several potential pilots, and didn't dig deeper. He had assumed it would be like the Air Force he had served in so many years ago, actual, trained pilots...

Not these _children._

The hangar shook again, with greater violence. Gentry, not for the first time today, was sent sprawling to the ground, Ayanami was tossed off her bed, and he saw girders falling from the ceiling, heading straight towards Shinji...

A titanic hand raised itself up, and covered the boy, the girders crashing against it, and falling aside. The three adults went wide eyed. Gentry could hear technicians already running around, trying to figure out what's going on.

"H-How? How?"

"That's impossible! The entry plug hasn't been inserted, it can't move!" Ritsuko protested the unlikely circumstances.

"It reacted without the interface...Or, did it protect him?" Misato smiled confidently ."He can do it!"

"What sort of madness have I found myself in..." Gentry complained, forcing himself up. That last fall may have torn something inside him.

"I'll do it...I'll get into it!" A voice behind them exclaimed. Unseen by the three, Shinji had gone to the fallen Ayanami, who was clearly suffering worse than Gentry was. At least he was standing.

"What? No, yo-" Gentry stopped himself. He had simply run out of time and moves he could play. It was either this, or they all die at this point. "Alright. Get prepared for launch. Good luck out there.."

With that, the hangar-he supposed that's what he could call it for now-erupt into activity. Misato touched Gentrys shoulder.

"Sir, you should go to the medics. You look pale, and your arm..." Gentry shook his head fiercely.

"No. I'm seeing this all the way through. Show me to the operations centre."

* * *

Commander Gentry eased himself gratefully into the Commanders seat, at the head of the Operations Centre. He had to admit, it was far more impressive that UNASA's Mission Control, although he thought the multitude of warnings and alerts, as well as their rather absurd size, was a bit much.

_If we get out of this, I'm changing that._ _At least for the sake of my bloody eyes._

He could hear the hive of operators and technicians, led by Kasuragi and Akagi, as they worked to get Shinji and EVA-01 ready to launch. It seemed that they had some luck, and Shinji was managing to synchronize with the purple-armoured giant. Despite himself, he allowed himself a small smile. The damn situation almost reminded him of a launch back at UNASA, although, he had to admit, when they were launching a rocket, the human race hardly depended on it, and nor was it piloted by a god-damn _child._

"Course clear. All Green!" The chirpy looking girl at Ops stated.

"It's ready for launch." Gentry inhaled, and stood.

"Eva Unit 1-launch!"

* * *

"Sir, NERV is reporting launch of Evangelion Unit-01!"

"About goddamn time. What the hell was Gentry doing down there?"

"It's time to see if Ikari's shield will protect us."

"Report on the battle?"

"We-Well...the Eva...just fell over, sir."

"..."

* * *

"AHHHHHHH!"

"Shinji, keep calm! It's not your real arm!"

This was a disaster. Gentry watched as EVA-01 got it's arm broken by the seemingly unstoppable Angel. It had taken a minor miracle to actually get the damn thing activated. To get Shinji to _walk_ in the thing, let alone _fight,_ was far too much to ask for.

Gentry wasn't in pain anymore. He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. There was panic in the Centre as the Angel lifted the hapless Evangelion by the head. Energy projected out of it's arm, forming a spike, which is proceeded to ram, again and again, into the head of 01. Shinji was screaming.

"Is there any way we can get that thing away from Shinji?" Gentry called out, but Akagi looked up at him and shook her head. On screen, the Angel finally pierced through the 01's head, propelling the machine into a building, its victim falling limp, blood spraying from the killing wound.

Well, that was it then. Gentry slumped in his seat, starting to get lightheaded. They'd failed. He'd sent an untrained kid to his death in the desperate hope that they might be able to mount some sort of a victory, but reality had taken hold. Everyone was going to die. The Angel would manage to get through to the base, down to that secret area hidden even under the Geofront, and then..

"This is impossible!" Gentry looked up. On screen, EVA-01 had managed to pull itself up. It was moving oddly, as it engaged the Angel again. No longer the uncertain, hesitant movements that Shinji had displayed, it was more like a rampaging beast, breaking through the Angels barrier, shattering it's arms, the once seemingly implacable monster as helpless as EVA-01 had been just moments ago. It was an impossible turnaround. Gentry winced, as the Angel, in it's last, defiant act, wrapped itself around the beast that Unit 01 had become, and detonated, apparently attempting to take its assailant with it.

But even that act turned out to be futile. Through the hell-storm that the Angels suicidal action had created strode the seemingly impervious monster. He knew that the rest of the Centre was as shocked as he was, but his hearing was starting to fade, the voices disappearing.

How had this happened? One minute the Eva was helpless, and the next, it had torn its opponent to shreds. Did it have something to do with how the Evangelion had protected Shinji earlier? Akagi had exclaimed that was impossible at the time. Did he have some connection with the giant? Was that why his father had sent for him?

As his vision dimmed, Gentry realized he didn't have the time to ponder the questions. He would just have to take the victory. But there was...there was one more thing he had to know before he went...

"Is the pilot...is Shinji alright?" His voice, far weaker than he would have liked, echoed through the Ops Centre.

"We're getting life signs from the pilot!" Gentry couldn't tell if the operator was responding to him, or was just reporting what was going on. It didn't matter.

"Heh...good...good..." Gentry murmured. He smiled softly, as he started to sag. He would go down in history as the shortest term Commander of NERV. It didn't matter, because he saw the smiling faces again, and as he started to fall from his seat, the arms of his family were reaching out to catch him...

* * *

Gentry slowly opened his eyes.

"An unfamiliar ceiling." It took a couple of minutes fir Gentry to realize that he had managed to survive, that he was still alive. It took him a few more minutes to accept it. He stared at the ceiling, quietly, until he heard the door to his hospital room open, and footsteps approaching.

"Ah, you're awake. Well, Commander Gentry, you're one lucky man." It wasn't a voice he recognized. He made his fat tongue and dry mouth to work.

"I sure don't feel like it. I feel like crap." The pain wasn't as bad as before, but he had that heady, drugged up feeling of heavy painkillers.

"You almost died, Commander, that's to be expected. You have three broken ribs, one of which pierced into your liver and caused internal bleeding. You were in emergency surgery for eight hours. You've been out for three days. Let's not even get into the wreck that is your arm." Gentry looked over at his heavily cast arm, and then slowly at the doctor.

"Heh...I guess I'm not allowed..."

"Sir?" Gentry shook his head.

"It's nothing." He forced himself into a sitting position, wincing slightly.

"What are you doing?"

"Gh...now that I'm awake, I've got work to do."

"Sir, you can hardly..."

"I'm sure you'll keep me alive. Now, instead of scolding me, go fetch me all the information NERV has on the pilots." Gentry said, adjusting himself so he would be more comfortable.

"A-As you wish, sir, I'll go get someone to help you with that..." With that, the doctor bustled out, clearly hardly believing the stupidity of his commanding officer. The door clicked closed behind him, and Gentry let out a soft sigh, his eyes closing.

He wasn't allowed to die yet. That much was certain. He had been tasked with a job, and it was clear to him that he had to see it through. Through all the chaos of SEELE being uprooted, the first Angel attack, so much had been taken for granted, or forgotten, and it had fallen to him to rectify that.

Gentry clenched his good hand. It was clear he didn't know much about fighting Angels. But maybe he could support the people who had the ability to do just that.

Commander Austin Gentry had people he needed to protect. This time, he swore to himself, he wouldn't fail.

Authors Note: The inspiration for this particular piece of fan fiction comes from a conversation on , where the question on what would happen if SEELE was exposed and uprooted, and thus Gendo also removed from command, before the series begins. It really depends on when they're uprooted, of course. In this story, as you can tell if you've been reading, I've chosen _really goddamn close_ to the start of the story.

NGE and whatever owned by those dudes over there (Gainax) and used without checking with them. I am a monster! A MONSTER!

All original characters owned by me, unless I don't care about them.


End file.
